Economic Development

City Planning

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DENVER – Mayor Michael B. Hancock today announced the appointment of Deputy Chief of Staff Stephanie Y. O’Malley as Executive Director of the Department of Safety (formerly Manager of Safety) for the City and County of Denver, effective Jan. 1. The Executive Director of Safety provides civilian oversight of the Police, Fire and Sheriff’s departments.

“This vital role, one of the most important in my Cabinet, requires a very stable and thoughtful individual, someone with the experience and political acumen to maintain the public’s confidence in Denver’s safety agencies,” Mayor Hancock said. “Stephanie brings those attributes as well as a high level of integrity, a commitment to justice, and a well-earned level of respect from the legal and public-safety communities.”

As Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Hancock, O’Malley engaged in a host of matters of public concern on his behalf, including direct engagement with Denver’s Police, Fire, and Sheriff’s departments, as well as with the Office of the Independent Monitor; collective bargaining; M/WBE considerations; arts and culture; homelessness; business operations; and community engagement.

“I am honored to serve as the Executive Director of the Department of Safety. I understand the importance of this position and the monumental responsibility that it brings,” O’Malley said. “I stand committed to advancing the well-being of the department as a whole and to being the anchor to each facet of this branch of government that is so critical to the Denver community and its citizens. I am humbled by Mayor Hancock’s confidence in me to lead the Department of Safety.”

Interim Safety Manager Ashley Kilroy will continue to serve in this capacity until Jan. 1. At that time, Kilroy will return to her previous position as Deputy Director of the Department of Safety.

“I am grateful to Ashley for bringing her considerable expertise to this temporary assignment,” Mayor Hancock said. “Her dedication during this time of transition was exemplary, and we are excited that she will continue to be an asset to the Department of Safety as we move forward.”

A Denver native, O’Malley grew up in the City Park West neighborhood. She graduated with honors from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She is a licensed attorney in the State of Colorado and received her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

From 2007-2011, O’Malley served as Denver’s first elected Denver County Clerk and Recorder. As an appointee of former Mayor John Hickenlooper, O’Malley was Director of the Department of Excise and Licenses from 2003-2007.

O’Malley currently serves on the Denver Urban Redevelopment Authority Board, the Zion Baptist Church Trustee Board, the Steering Committee for Forest Street Compassionate Care Center, and the advisory committee for the Denver School of Science and Technology.

She previously served as a founding board member of DSST, the Denver Public Schools Citizens Bond Committee and the Colorado Election Reform Commission. O’Malley is the mother of two teenage sons, Patrick and Steven.

Mayor Hancock said O’Malley will build trust and strengthen relationships between city government and Denver’s diverse communities.

“I am confident Stephanie will continue to bring her no nonsense approach to this work,” Mayor Hancock said. “She will be a key asset in furthering the progress we have made in streamlining our processes and in recognizing the value of community partnerships as we continue to build trust and accountability between our residents and our departments of safety.”